Daniels has attempted to clear up the issue once and for all in a chat with Reuters by insisting that fans should not expect to see Michael Scott in the May 16 finale.

"I think Steve felt, and I agree, that the 'Goodbye, Michael' episode was his goodbye and he didn't want to overshadow the ending that all the other characters deserved," the writer explained.

He also drew comparisons between the US Office's series ender and its UK predecessor's final episode, which allowed the characters to reflect on the entire series. The US version will similarly see characters reuniting to discuss how being filmed for a documentary changed their lives.

"After attempting to beat that [British] ending in a number of different ways, we ended up doing something very similar," Daniels explained.

"We are trying to get more time and the network is being very creative about scraping some more time without us having to start the finale at a weird time that will cause half the audience to miss the first ten minutes."

The Office's finale will feature guest appearances by former cast members BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling.